Draft attachment for railway vehicles



Dec. 6, 1932. 7 E. H. SCHMIDT 1,839,762

A T ME Filed March 5, 1927 INVENTOR En esH. Schmidt BYE y l A'oRNEY to the horizontal links or yoke arms C. `To

Patented Dec. 6, 1932 UNIT-1an.v STATES ERNEST H. SCHMIDT, or CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, oHIo, lAsSICNoH To NATIONAL lMALLE- ABLE AND STEEL CASTINGS COMPANY, orI CLEVELAND, oHIo, A CORPORATION, or

OHIO

LHAET ATTACHMENT Eon `RAILWAY VEHICLES Application ineaMarch 5,192.7. 'serial No; 173,024.

My invention relates to improvements in draft attachments of the character ,shown in the application of Ernest H. Schmidt and Hubert L. Spence, filed January 19, 1927,

5 Serial No. 161,992, which matured into Patlent No. 1,859,585, May 24, 1932, in which a draft equalizer and a. bulflng equalizer are used, and provides means for retaining the draft equalizer member in the coupler Shank 0 even when the draft key has been removed so as to prevent the draft equalizer from be-l ing lost or mislaid, and also means for Supporting the bufting equalizer upon the rear endof the coupler shank to maintain it in such supported position for convenience of assembly as well as of operation. l My invention also comprises various features which I shall hereinafter describe and claim.

of a coupler shank to which my improvel ments have been applied;` Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof; and Fig. 3 is a section on line.III-III of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown my invention applicable to a car couplerhaving a shank of the construction shown in the aplication of Ernest H. Schmidt and Hubert L. pence, Serial No. 161,992, filed January 19, 1927, for draft attachments. The shank A of the car coupler'has a horizontal slot 2 extending transversely therethrough, in which is seated a draft equalizer member 3, the rear face 4 of which is convex in two directions to correspond with the surface 5 which forms the rear face of the sl0t2 in the car coupler.

The forward face 6 of the equalizer is concave in a vertical direction, so as to afford a bearing on `the rear side of the dra-ft key B through which draft stresses are transmitted prevent the equalizer 3 from being accidentally removed or falling out and being lost,-

I preferably employ a keeper or retainer 7. This maybe of C-shape, which may be applied between the seats Sand 9 for the draft key and the equalizer 3 by dropping it over the longitudinally extending` reinforcing web 120 and bending its ends into the aperture y11 which extends through the web. When the keeper 7- is in position its upper face will 'not Fig. l is a horizontal section of the rear end f.

PATENT oFFl'cE extend beyond the face of the key seating surl face 8, but will project abovethesurface 9 of the web 10 upon which theequalizer seats,

and is situated so that there is not room to remove the equalizer when thekeeper is in yposition, even though the draft key hasbeen removedfrom the slot 2 and thecoupler shank 'from the car A.

The rear end of the coupler `shank an arc-shaped rear surface 12, preferably struck 12 at the rearl` end of the Shank.V The bufng ment'or follower'D of a draft gear, which is usually at rightV angles to the line' of draft.

Forjthe purpose of supporting the equaliz-4 bottom of the coupler shank for reception,

respectively, of a hook-shapedlug 17 which extends forwardly and downwardly at the top of the buffing block, and a lug v18 which extends forwardly from the bottom ofthe buifingblock. When the bufing block has been applied to the rear end vof the coupler shank with the upper lug ,17 seatingv in the recess 15 of the shank andthe lower lug 18 in the recess 16 at the bottom of the shank, theen'd .of the lower lug may be upset by striking it sharply upward.` By reason of the rearwardly inclined upper surface 19 of the recess, the bottom lug 18, after it is bent, will prevent removal of the vbuiing. block, while permitting block relative to the shank.

- Both of thel recesses 15 and 16 are arcyshaped so as to permit the buftng .blockto rotate about the center upon which the arc of the rear Surface 12 of the shank is struck,

4so as to permit it to perform its equalizing function with reference tothe rear end ofthe radial p movement :of the` YSo coupler even though it is supported thereby.

not the coupler has been applied to the car, renders easier the application of the coupler attachments described in the Schmidt and Spence application referred to above, and at the same time prevents loss or removal of these parts. 't 1 As was pointedk out in the Schmidt-Spence application above referred to, it is desirable to -have the shank with the radial attach-A 0 Vments interchange with the standard A. R. A.

shank. It will be apparent from the drawing that the means herein shown for attaching the buiing block permits a construction in which the height of the buiing block does not exceed the height of the adjacent por- --tions of theshank 'and' this coupler may be Iinserted as far as overall height is concerned in any kattachments that receive a standard coupler. Also, as` noted in said 'Schmidt- 20 VSpence application, the distance vfrom the -rear of the key to the rear of the buiing block "should be the same as thek distance from the rear face of the draft key to the rear end'of Vthe standard coupler, thus permittingY sub- 5 ystitution of one shank for the other. The im- Agproved shank, moreover, is made as strong as the standard shank by maintaining the .cross-sectional area of the shank in the zone of the key slot, which is the weakest point,

`- at least as great asin the standard coupler.

The terms and expressions which I have Vemployed are used as terms ofdescription and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions,

ofexcluding any mechanical equivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof, but'recognize that various structural modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What I claim is:

1. VIn a coupler attachment, a coupler shank v land yoke having horizontal aligned slots therein; a connecting key insaid slots; an

"equalizer in the slot in the shank between the l key and the rear 'end of the shank providing a rotativebearing for the key in the shank; "and a keeper for the equalizer located adj af cent the center line of the coupler to limit the rmovement of said' equalizer away from its -5O rotative bearing without interfering with shank, anequalizer arranged to transmit buff- Img stresses from said shank throughout the buiing movementV thereof, and means for seil' u1-ing the equalizer to the shank, said ymeans comprising a bendable lug on one of said members within the confines of the shank.

3. A coupler shank having a transverse "equalizer forming the rear portion of said -key-slot extending therethrough, a draft' slot, a yoke connected to said shank, said draft equalizer being of a width substantially equal to the width of the coupler shank and means within the shank for securing said equalizer to the shank even when the latter is disconnected' vfrom the yoke, the equalizer having substantially flat uninterrupted upper and lower surfaces permitting the ready insertion and removal thereof, said shank hav.- ing` a'solid portion .to the rear of said slot 75 against which portion saidV equalizer is adaptinterior and exterior arc-shaped surfaces; a S0 vpair of equalizing members engaging said surfaces and supported byand movable with said shankin both buff anddraft, and means :COOPG/latllg with said members andv said shank for-'limitingV theY longitudinal "movess ment of said members relative to said shank even when the latter is disconnected from. said'yoke and-providing for lateral movement between said members and said shank, one of said members being active in draft and @9U the otherinbuif.Y Y

5. In a coupler attachment, a .coupler shank, a yoke connected thereto, said shank having separate draft andbufling equalizer members movable therewith and radially thereto and means securing said members to said shank even when the latter is disconnected from said yoke, said means beingen- 'tirely within the confines of said shank and preventing accidental removal of said members.

6. In a coupler attachment, a coupler shank, a yoke, a pair of equalizing members supported by said shank, one of which is active in .draft and the other in buE, and means i on said shank and members whereby said shank and members are connected together even when said shank is disconnected from said yoke, one of said means being on the vinterior of the kshank and the other of said? A means onthe exterior of the shank.

7. In a coupler attachment, a coupler shank adaptedfor connection to a yoke, a pair of equalizing members supported by and movable with the shank, draft stresses being-T transmitted through one of said members and the bufing stresses through the other,.and retaining means `limitingthe movement of each of said members longitudinally relative to the shank and securing said members to the' shank even when'the latter is disconnected from said yoke.

8. A coupler shank having ai transverse y,key slot extending therethrough, 'portions of said shank completely surrounding said slot, a draft equalizer forming the rear portion of said slot, a yoke connected to said shank, said draft equalizer being of a width substantially4 equal to the width of the coupler shank, vand means securedto the shank for holding the equalizer to the shank even when the latter is disconnected Jfrom the yoke, the equalizer having substantially lat uninterrupted upper and lower surfaces permitting the ready insertion and removal thereof.

9. In a coupler attachment, a coupler shank, a yoke, a pair of equalizing members supported by said shank, one ot which is active in draft and the other in buff, and means on said shank and members whereby said shank and members are connected together even When said shank is disconnected from said yoke, one of said means being on the interior of the shank and the other of said means on the exterior of the shank, both of said means lying entirely Within the conlines of the shank.

ERNEST H. SCHMIDT. 

